Akihito Fujii hurt his right leg during Friday's game against Yokohama. He hit a ball off the left field wall in the 5th inning and was replaced by a pinch-runner after he tweaked his leg while rounding first. He was taken to a hospital in Yokohama for an examination. Source: Sponichi 4/25/2014, Nikkan Sports 4/25/2014

Yokohama Bay Stars

Kiyoshi Nakahata watched Jorge Sosa (left leg) throw in the bullpen on Friday. He told reporters that while Sosa's pitches looked better, he was not planning on adding him back to the active roster until he was capable of pitching on consecutive days. Source: Sponichi 4/25/2014

Chiba Lotte Marines

Toshiaki Imae (lower back tightness) could play in a Ni-gun rehab game on Saturday. Depending on how things go, he could make it back to the active roster some time in May. The Marines are taking their time with Imae because they want to make sure he is 100 percent when he returns. Source: Daily Sports 4/25/2014, Sports Hochi 4/25/2014

Softbank Hawks

Seiichi Uchikawa made the starting line-up as the designated hitter on Friday because of discomfort near his right buttock. He was examined at a Fukuoka hospital on Thursday. There were no significant problems, other than some inflammation. Source: Nikkan Sports 4/25/2014

Nippon Ham Fighters

Atsunori Inaba visited Sapporo Dome on Friday for the first time since he had surgery on his left knee on April 14. He provided the team with an update on his progress and did some workouts. Source: Nikkan Sports 4/25/2014

Yoshiyuki Kamei played catch at Giants Stadium on Tuesday for the first time since he had surgery on his right index finger (fracture). Source: Nikkan Sports 4/22/2014

Hiroshima Carp

Kila Ka'aihue took an HBP off his back in the 1st inning of Tuesday's game against Yakult. He was removed from the game on defense in the bottom of the inning and taken to a hospital in Tokyo for an MRI. He was diagnosed with a spinal cord concussion. The Carp will wait to see how their slugger is doing on Wednesday before deciding what to do next. Source: Nikkan Sports 4/22/2014

Yokohama Bay Stars

The Bay Stars were going to let Jorge Sosa travel with the team until he showed up at the airport on Monday with a slight limp (tightness in his left thigh/leg). Sosa was taken off the active roster and sent down to Ni-gun. Kiyoshi Nakahata told reporters he did not want the reliever back until he was fully healed and ready to pitch. Source: Sponichi 4/22/2014

Yakult Swallows

Chris Carpenter took a batted ball hit by Ryosuke Kikuchi off the outer portion of his right knee in the 8th inning of Tuesday's game against Hiroshima. He was removed from the game and taken to the hospital for an examination. He was diagnosed with a bruise. Whether he gets taken off the active roster on Wednesday will depend on how he is feeling. Ryo Hidaka will be called up in case he is needed. Source: Nikkan Sports 4/22/2014, Sponichi 4/22/2014

Rakuten Eagles

Kevin Youkilis took an HBP off the area near his right wrist during his at bat in the 2nd inning of Tuesday's game against Seibu. He was removed on defense in the 3rd. Tests conducted at a hospital in Sendai revealed no problems with the bones. The team will make a decision on Youkilis after they see how he is feeling on Wednesday. Source: Sponichi 4/22/2014, Nikkan Sports 4/22/2014

Tsuyoshi Nishioka visited the Koshien clubhouse on Friday to provide the team with an update on his progress. The Tigers are still not sure when Nishioka will be able to begin his rehab at the Naruohama facilities. Source: Sanspo 4/20/2014, Daily Sports 4/20/2014

Yokohama Bay Stars

Jorge Sosa's outing on Sunday was cut short when he hurt the back of his left thigh. Source: Sponichi 4/20/2014

Yakult Swallows

Yuhei Nakamura took an HBP off his left elbow on Saturday. He was examined at a hospital in Osaka after the game and diagnosed with a bruise. He was not in the starting line-up on Sunday, but was available off the bench. Source: Nikkan Sports 4/20/2014

Yasuhiro Ogawa was taken off the active roster on Sunday because he was still experiencing pain in his right hand. Ogawa took a batted ball off his right hand during a game against Hanshin on the 18th. As a precaution, he will have the hand examined at a hospital in Tokyo on Monday. Source: Sanspo 4/20/2014, Sports Hochi 4/20/2014, Nikkan Sports 4/20/2014

Takeya Nakamura (back tightness) played in a Ni-gun rehab game against Yokohama on Saturday. He was the starting designated hitter and batted fourth. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Source: Sponichi 4/20/2014

Softbank Hawks

Kenichi Nakata was pulled after eight innings on Saturday against Lotte because he had a cut on the tip of his right thumb. He got the cut when he threw a slider to Yuta Yoshida in the 5th inning. He managed to limit Lotte's chances on the base-paths until he walked two straight to start the 8th. Source: Nikkan Sports 4/20/2014

The Yokohama Bay Stars announced today that they agreed to terms with Jorge Sosa (35). According to various reports, Sosa signed a two-year deal that will pay him 85 million yen next year. He was also assigned a the number fifty-three. The deal is still pending a physical.

According to at least two reports, the Yokohama Bay Stars are very close to finalizing a contract with Jorge Sosa. An unnamed source is quoted as saying that the two sides have agreed to basic terms and that the only thing remaining is a signature. Team GM Shigeru Takada spoke to reporters on Monday and said he thought an agreement was reached, but that it was not yet official. An announcement is expected within the next couple of days.

In other team-related news, the Bay Stars did announce that they signed former Hanshin Tiger Kai-Wen Cheng to an Ikusei deal. He has been assigned the number 117. His contract is reportedly worth an estimated seven million yen.

According to Sponichi, the Yokohama Bay Stars are close to finalizing a deal with Jorge Sosa (35). The contract is reportedly a two-year deal worth an estimated 280 million yen plus incentives. An official announcement could be made early next week.

"If we can add Sosa, we can have [Shun] Yamaguchi and him handle the 8th and 9th innings. The order in which they pitch will depend on their conditions. The coaches can decided on that," said GM Shigeru Takada.

The Chunichi Dragons informed reporters today that they do not plan include Tony Blanco (32), Jorge Sosa (35), and Enyelbert Soto (30) in their list of reserved players. This means all three players will automatically become free agents on December 3.

The Bay Stars may be preparing to offer Blanco, Sosa, and Soto two-year contracts. Blanco's deal could be worth 600M yen, Sosa's 350M yen, and Soto's 250M yen. That could give the team, in one fell swoop the power hitter they have been looking, a closer that will allow Shun Yamaguchi to finally make his move into the starting rotation, and a left-handed starter.

If the Bay Stars sign Blanco, he will likely start at first and bat fifth behind Alex Ramirez.

As for whether or not the Dragons still have a shot at re-signing Blanco, it seems there is little chance of that happening now -- negotiations have taken too long and the divide between the two sides may have grown too large.

The Softbank Hawks have also expressed an interest in Blanco, but it seems he has a desire to play for a team located near Tokyo. The Bay Stars are also considered favorites because of Ramirez.

With regards to Nelson, the team is still looking into him as an option. Their biggest concern with him is his right shoulder. If he is healthy, they may attempt to sign him.

According to Sports Hochi, the Yokohama Bay Stars are preparing a two-year deal worth about 200M yen for Jorge Sosa.

The Chunichi Dragons have most likely offered Sosa a one-year deal with a significant raise on his 2012 salary (23.1M yen). However, the thirty-five-year-old reliever reportedly wants a multi-year deal and is not happy with how he was used this past season. Because of this, there is a very good chance Sosa will hit the open market. If he does, the Bay Stars will present him with a two-year deal that could be worth about 200M yen.

The Bay Stars are also said to be looking into Tony Blanco and Enyelbert Soto.